AFP The death toll from a devastating snowstorm in Nepal's Himalayas climbed to 43 on Saturday, in the worst trekking disaster ever to hit the mountainous country.

bbc.com Hurricane Gonzalo has hit Bermuda with winds of about 185km/h. Eighty percent of the British territory had lost power because of the hurricane, Reuters quoted Bermuda Electric Light Company as saying.

AP Hong Kong riot police battled with thousands of pro-democracy protesters for control of the streets Saturday, using pepper spray and batons to hold back defiant activists who returned to a protest zone that officers had partially cleared.

reuters Search teams in Nepal used shovels and ice axes to dig through thick snow and rescue about 40 hikers trapped for days on a Himalayan pass after blizzards and avalanches killed at least 29 people in one of the world's worst mountain disasters.

AP Two Germans kidnapped and held for six months in the southern Philippines were released by a militant group just hours after it had threatened to behead one of them if no ransom payment was made, the Philippine defense chief said.


PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.



reuters Nigeria has said it has agreed a truce with Islamist militants Boko Haram and reached a deal for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the group six months ago.

nytimes.com Protesters demanding democracy in Hong Kong delivered a stinging rebuff to the government by reclaiming parts of a street that police had forcibly cleared.

bbc.com Dozens of Bangladeshis have been rescued after being abducted and shipped to Thailand to be sold as slaves. The men were promised well-paid jobs, before being drugged, bound and kidnapped.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29665636

bangkokpost.com PM Prayut says it's time for everyone to find ''common ground'' and embrace a bold new vision to make Thailand a developed country by 2025.


bbc.com UK police officers are to travel to Thailand to help investigate the murders of two British tourists found dead on the island of Koh Tao. The country's military ruler dropped objections to accepting help in the case after being pressed on the issue in a meeting with UK Prime Minister David Cameron.



news.com.au Two romance novel models who were seated just metres away from an Ebola-stricken nurse on a flight to Dallas have placed themselves in a 21-day quarantine.



nationmultimedia.com Hundreds of false marriages between Thai women and foreign men were registered by a corrupt official in Khon Kaen province between 2011 and 2013, it was revealed. Some of these women apparently never knew that someone had ''stolen'' their name for marriage registration until they wanted to officially register their union with men they planned to start a family with.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Women-caught-in-fake-marriage-registration-scam-30245742.html

AP Officials say 16 people are feared dead and 11 remain seriously injured after a ventilation grate collapsed during a concert by popular girls' band 4Minute near South Korea's capital.

nationmultimedia.com Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that Thailand needs to stimulate tourism with proactive measures, especially by improving safety. He said explanations and messages of tourist signs should also be made in Thai and in foreign languages. Officials should have response plans for instances of natural disasters, he added.

straitstimes.com A 67-year-old Thai man has been charged with insulting the monarchy after scribbling anti-royal comments on public toilet walls, an official said, the latest charge under the controversial lese majeste law.

nationmultimedia.com To cope with the increasing number of complaints made to Phuket authorities by foreigners, Governor Nisit Jansomwong is looking to hire an English speaker to assist staff at the island's Damrongtham Centre (ombudsman's office).

scmp.com A Chinese investigative journalist who wrote reports critical of a state-controlled construction equipment maker has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of defamation and bribery.

telegraph.co.uk British Islamist terrorists plotted to kill police officers or soldiers, possibly in a drive-by shooting on London streets, it was alleged. Four British men were said to have sworn allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State - also known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

reuters U2 frontman Bono has revealed the mystery behind his trademark sunglasses. The Irish rocker has glaucoma. Bono told British TV chat show host Graham Norton he had suffered from the condition for two decades.

smh.com.au Take a walk anywhere vaguely scenic where Asian tourists congregate and you'll discover the newest accessory in narcissism: the ''selfie stick''. Retractable, telescopic, it clips on to your phone so you can hold it at a distance and get your beautiful face and body in greater context to their surrounds, perhaps even shoot yourself from above.

Bill Barnett I remain of the opinion that Phuket is absolutely the best place in the world to live. In its imperfection is beauty, humanity and a pace of life which is coveted. Yes, the island has changed, as has the country, but at the end of the day, find me a corner of the world that hasn???t.

pattayamail.com Transportation and tourism officials will study Pattaya???s marine-transport services to formulate a new marine-safety plan that can be utilised around Thailand.

focustaiwan.tw Budget carrier Tigerair Taiwan, a joint venture between Taiwan's China Airlines and Singapore's Tiger Airways, said it will launch routes to Bangkok and Chiang Mai mid-November.

digitalspy.co.uk Vinyl record sales in the UK are on course to pass the one million mark for the first time since the mid-1990s.

news.islandcrisi.net A new study has suggested that male brains are wired to opting for mating as opposed to foraging for food. The research put into perspective the behavior of nematodes: the latter were found to suppress their capacity of searching for food so that they can look for potential mates.



voanews.com The Rohingya minority community in Myanmar should rank as one of the most excluded, persecuted and vulnerable communities in the world. That is the conclusion of a pair of studies, prepared over a three-year-period, looking at the plight of the stateless group.
http://www.voanews.com/content/stateless-rohingya-deemed-among-worlds-most-persecuted/2486813.html

bangkokpost.com Cambodia's first genocide trial against two Khmer Rouge leaders opened with a goal to show the inhumane conditions that killed 1.7 million.

straitstimes.com A Scoot flight to Singapore from Bangkok was delayed for more than 21 hours after the plane suffered a technical fault while still at Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport.



cnn.com He's a convicted rapist leaving jail. He's also a professional soccer star who could return to his highly paid job, fans and fame. Many say Ched Evans shouldn't play again. Others are more forgiving.

bbc.com West Indies are to pull out of their current tour of India because of a payment dispute between players and the West Indies Cricket Board.



October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 1-3 Patong Carnival

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-23 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

December 5 King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 31 New Year's Eve



February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show